It used to be that a business could generate substantial profits by keeping its customers in the dark. But sooner or later practices like those will put your company in as much jeopardy as a Middle Eastern dictator. If you want to stay out of the line of fire, your best course of action is to protect the interests of your customer, proactively.

How will technology change our electoral process? Fast Company gets Crystal Ballin' with Keya Danenbaum, the founder of ElectNext, which applies the techniques of dating websites to representative democracy.

The same country that helped give Bjork her voice hands over its guiding document to everyday citizens. But at its heart, the experiment in social media confuses democracy with transparency, a leading expert in participatory government tells Fast Company.

Technology is evolving rapidly, with 500 million people spending 700 billion minutes every month on Facebook. That’s the equivalent of years, if not decades, of human effort and energy.

But Facebook is just one branch of this new interconnected global network of users. In fact, it’s more than a network. It’s a series of sparks shimmering around the globe as bold new ideas flicker to life in the minds of individuals that can nurture and amplify them through their embryonic stages.